Commentary

Movement on access to credit

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Access to credit has always been central to the work of the CCTA since it was founded over 130 years ago. We have a long-standing project to protect access to responsible credit for customers that often struggle to borrow elsewhere. In recent months, we have seen a greater interest in access to credit and financial inclusion from a range of external stakeholders which as been encouraging. Firstly, we have seen this from the new Labour Government. Prior to the announcement of the General Election, the Labour Party outlined its commitment to a National Financial Inclusion Strategy, should it gain power. This was...

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CCTA Annual Conference 2024

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Last week we held our annual conference at the Radisson Blu, Manchester airport. In keeping with recent tradition, we held our member dinner the night before the conference. Our dinner provided the opportunity for attendees to catch up with colleagues from across the sector and discuss relevant issues in a relaxed setting. Conference kicked off the next morning with our Chair, Mark Fiander welcoming delegates to this year’s event. Jason Wassell, CEO, then provided an update on the work of the association and covered some of the topics that would be discussed during the day. We also got a presentation on our...

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FCA keeps a firm grip on the oversight of Appointed Representatives

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Last week the FCA published the findings of its review of how principal firms are meeting its enhanced appointed representative rules, introduced in December 2022. As a reminder, an appointed representative (AR) is a firm that undertakes regulated activities and acts as an agent for a firm directly authorised by the FCA. This firm is known as the appointed representative’s “principal” firm. The FCA’s review involved a telephone survey with 251 principals and in-depth assessments of documentation from 23 firms and they are keen to share their findings. The current rules state that principal firms must oversee their ARs effectively and are responsible...

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Reducing the burden

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The end of July saw the first anniversary of the implementation of the FCA’s Consumer Duty. This meant vast amounts of work undertaken by regulated firms to prepare, looking to embed the Duty in every stage of the customer journey.  We have supported CCTA members through this process, but it is no means finished, as we know this will be a continual process, especially as requirements for closed products and the Annual Board Report have now come into force too. There is no doubt that the introduction of the Duty has meant extra regulatory requirements which come at a cost. These...

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Consumer Duty – one year on

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It has now been one year since the Consumer Duty came into force for new and existing financial products and services. We are sure that firms will agree; it has been quite a journey so far! The implementation of the Duty has been a somewhat phased approach. The financial services industry had deadlines in relation to approved implementation plans and information exchange requirements. We are now at the stage of the final, hard deadline set for firms under the Duty, that deadline being Annual Board Reports and closed products and services. Over the last year, firms have been living and breathing the...

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What’s happening in the motor finance market?

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After a mortgage, the purchase of a vehicle is often the second largest expense within a household, which is why a range of motor finance options have developed over the years to assist families in making this purchase. The CCTA membership includes motor finance firms of different sizes with various specialisms across the sector. With motor finance being such a large financial services sector, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has carried out various pieces of work into the sector over the years. In 2021, the FCA banned what are referred to as discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs). This removed the incentive for brokers...

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What would be in the CCTA Manifesto?

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As we head towards polling day for the general election on the 4th of July, we have now seen the manifestos from all the main political parties. The purpose of a manifesto is to outline the steps a party would take, if they get the opportunity to form a government. From what we have seen most of the 2024 manifestos have been light on the detail around consumer credit and financial inclusion- understandably there are other issues that grab the headlines like NHS waiting lists and illegal migration. But this has led us to think about what we would put in the...

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FOS consults on charging CMCs

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A general election wasn’t the only announcement we saw in late May. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) also published its next consultation on plans to move forward with charging professional representatives, including Claims Management Companies (CMCs), to access their service. We, along with many CCTA members, responded to the last consultation calling for action to be taken. The FOS are consulting on a £250 case fee charge for CMCs. If a CMC wins a case, that would be reduced to £75. If the CMC loses, the £250 would be used to reduce the lender's fee. CMCs will be allowed three free...

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The general election and a possible change in government

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On the 22nd of May, Rishi Sunak surprised most of the UK by calling a General Election to take place on the 4th of July. Much of the political world thought it would take place in the autumn, but there was a growing sense that this was as good as it would get for the Conservatives. Though polls can be misleading and often narrow as election day approaches, Labour has consistently been around 20 points ahead of the Conservatives. It seems unlikely that the Tories will feature in the next government. Labour looks likely to be at the head of the...

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